In this 6-week course we will explore yoga and meditation practices aimed at bringing forth the qualities of openness, kindness, self-compassion and awake heart presence.

In each yoga session Lynda will teach simple peace chants, hand gestures (hasta mudra) and breathing techniques (pranayama), to refine your awareness, balance the energies in the body-mind, and invite an attitude of peace, so that you can connect to your heart. These practices will prepare you for the heart-centered, guided meditations led by Peter.

This direct approach invites you to come out of the complexity of the head and into the immediacy of heart presence itself – where real transformation can take place.

This course will be presented by Peter Fernando and Lynda Miers-Henneveld, at freed-om-yoga in Island Bay. Please visit Ezybook and look for the course title in the right hand menu. Click on the tab to make your booking. We look forward to seeing you.

On November 17 I will be heading to India for the last module of my Yoga Therapy training at the KHYF. The last class for 2017 will be at 10:00am on Tuesday, November 14.

I will be returning home in late December, so classes will resume mid January, 2018. I will open up the bookings for 2018 before I leave, so please check in with the booking page from time to time over the next few weeks if you wish to secure your place in class early in the New Year.

Thank you to my students for your dedicated practice this year. It has been a pleasure to share the joys of yoga with you all. Our sangha has gone from strength to strength this year, and I look forward to witnessing our individual and collective growth next year.

Namaste.

Lynda xx

Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu – may all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may our thoughts, words and actions contribute to happiness and freedom for all.

I am very excited about the upcoming Vedic chanting seminars led by Menaka Desikachar. During my yoga therapy training in Chennai, Menaka has been my chanting teacher. She is a wonderful guide and a warmhearted person. Menaka will be teaching in Raumati South, Dunedin and Auckland. The seminar in Raumati South will focus on chants that honour the divine feminine, while the Dunedin and Auckland seminars will offer participants the chance to learn healing chants from the Vedas.

Sri Sakti – Honouring the Divine Feminine

Sri is the name given to the divine feminine that manifests in so many forms around this wonderful universe. It is believed in the Vedic tradition that Sri is indeed the power that creates, nourishes, protects, heals and eventually liberates. She also expresses herself as energy and pervades every being, bringing light and life, knowledge and illumination, purity and sacredness. She is also half of the universal polarity principle and is the connecting force through which the two unite as one, transcending the domains of matter and consciousness.

In this seminar we will learn some Sakti chants using the traditional technique of adhyayanam. Each day will include a meditative Yoga practice emphasising the use of chant to give participants an opportunity to deeply connect with their own experience. We will explore some of the global meanings of the chants as well.

Cost: NZ$ 315

Dates: 30 Sep – 02 Oct 2017

Venue: Raumati South Hall, Tennis Court Road, Raumati South

The Healing Power of Sound

Among the many tools that are available in Yoga and Yoga Therapy, the use of sound when chanting in Sanskrit holds a special place for the yogin-s of the past and the present. Sanskrit is an ancient phonetic language which utilises the power of sound vibrations. Vedic chants in Sanskrit are said to have been received by sages when they were in deep meditation. These chants have been handed down through an oral tradition for thousands of years.

This seminar will provide opportunities to learn some Vedic healing chants. No prior experience is necessary and is open to all. The rules of chanting and pronunciation will be introduced during the seminar under the guidance of a very experienced teacher, Menaka Desikachar. We will honor the tradition of ancient teachers using the process of adhyayanam – listening to the teacher and then repeating the chant. We will also do a yoga practice each day that combines the use of chant with simple asana and breathing.

For bookings, or for more information, please contact Ruth Diggins via email, ruthyoga@paradise.net.nz or through by calling 04-905-6224 or 021-258-6865.

Private consultations with Menaka

Menaka Desikachar will also be available for private yoga therapy consultations during her visit. In these sessions you can receive an individualized and holistic daily practice, that will support your health and wellbeing. Alternately you could also book a private chanting class with Menaka. Cost of these private consultations will be $120. Each private lesson may last between 30-45 minutes depending on the need. Please contact Ruth Diggins if you are interested in booking a session.

Menaka Desikachar may be assisted by some of the senior teachers in this tradition during the seminars and also in some of the private sessions. These teachers include Sacha Kronfeld, Ruth Diggins and Evelyn Einhaeuser.

Dear friends,
I offer you this introduction to Vedic chanting, a practice which has brought me much joy and peace, as well as inner strength. Yoga is a transformative practice, and if we are to succeed in finding our personal path to freedom, we have to find our own voice. In my experience, chanting mantra as part of your daily practice is a powerful way to do that.

Our main focus will be on learning ‘Sam No Mitra’ which is a universal peace mantra from the Vedas. Throughout this course you will also hear the opening and closing mantras, which are traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of each Vedic chanting practice. If time permits, we will practice these together as well.

Being alive means constantly adapting to the changes in our internal and external worlds. Change can be a cause of suffering if it is forced upon us, or if we resist it. But when we choose to make a change, and observe ourselves in the process of transformation, we can learn a lot about our patterns, and the degree to which we are able to free ourselves from the ones that cause suffering for us.

Certain mantras (chants), and specific āsana, prānāyāma and meditation practices, can support us through the various stages of transformation. With the help of these tools we can begin to see the way we personally negotiate change, and how we could embrace it in a positive way, using the practices to help us let go of negative patterns, and establish new, healthy and helpful ones. In this way we can actively support our own evolution.

In recent weeks, we have been exploring the ways in which our practice can help us negotiate change. Some of you who attended the sessions have expressed an interest in continuing this theme in your personal practice, so I am offering you the following notes, which can be read alongside the practice notes you received at the end of each class.

The vyāhrtis – mantras for the seven levels of transformation (parināma).

The seven vyāhrtis are often chanted at the start of the Gayatri mantra, as they cleanse and prepare the chanter to receive the energy of this sun chant. Each vyāhrti is a complete mantra in and of itself, and can therefore be chanted in isolation, although traditionally they are chanted after the mantra OM (see below).

The seven vyāhrtis can be linked to the seven cakras, and like the cakras, each one indicates a step in the process of transformation, and a refinement of our self-awareness. They are also known as distinct realms, ranging from earth to heaven and beyond.

The first three vyāhrtis (om bhuh, om bhuvah and om suvah) are known as the maha-vyāhrtis. They represent the earth, water and fire elements. These three together can help us to set our intention. Through the earth element we link with our present reality, and discover what it is that we would like to transform. The water element reminds us that it is possible for us to move from our present situation, and the fire element gives us the clarity to see what we would like to manifest.

Once you have chosen an area or an aspect of your life in which you would like to make a change, set your intention for this transformation. Sum this intention up in a short, positive statement, so that you can easily connect with it throughout the practices. This is your samkalpa (pronounced sankalpa). Take it into your heart, and remind yourself of it each time you step onto your mat.

The mantras:

Om
A+U=O in Sanskrit, so AUM becomes OM. From O to M, the sound travels from the back of the throat to the lips, and fills the entire mouth with sound. The mantra contains all the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, which means it contains everything that could be expressed. Following OM there is always a short pause, to allow the sound to resonate.

Om bhuhEarth element. The gross, physical plane. Relates to your current reality, that which you wish to transform. Implies heaviness, hard work.

Om bhuvahWater element. The more subtle consciousness. Relates to that which is manifesting, a new reality you wish to create. The potential for change.

Om mahah
Air element. Mahat refers to impressions from the past, old habits and behaviours, what we must release in order to embrace the new.

Om janah
Space element. Janah is a place of birth, where something new takes shape. A new aspect of you is manifesting.

Om tapahIntelligence. Tapas is discipline. The effort required to nourish and sustain new patterns. Yukti is your special intelligence, based on all you have learned about yourself so far. Use your yukti to determine what discipline means for you.

Ogm satyamIntegration. A new reality is attained, no longer influenced by old patterns. This new truth becomes your bhuh, the place from which the next transformation can begin.

As you work with these mantras in your practice, it is important to remember that change is often messy and unpredictable. You may wish to stay with one mantra, and one practice for a while, until you feel ready to move on. For instance, it may take a number of weeks before your intention becomes clear, so you can repeat the first three levels several times. Then you may discover that a pattern that you have chosen to work with has deep roots, and letting go is not so easy! Just take your time, and trust yourself. This is an ongoing process, so there really is no hurry.

One of the great privileges of being a yoga teacher, is to witness transformation. In every class there is a shift – from distraction to attention, from separateness to unity, or from agitation to calm. One might observe this in a particular student, or in the group as whole, or in even in one’s self as a result of having held the group for the duration of the session.

Through yoga we have the capacity to reduce our suffering, and to realise our true potential. The practice allows us to see the ways in which we contribute to our physical, mental or emotional pain. But this awareness is just the beginning, and those who wish to let go of the habits that are holding them back must be prepared to take a long term approach. Sure, I have witnessed epiphanies, where a student suddenly becomes aware of an aspect of themselves that was previously hidden from view, but more often than not, personal transformation is a gradual process, built on many months or years of dedicated practice. This kind of change is not necessarily dramatic or exciting to observe, but as teacher, it is the kind that inspires me the most.

As a teacher of yoga, I am by definition also a student. The roles are not separate in my view, and from time to time, an opportunity comes along for us to come together as a community of learners. Recently, we were lucky to have such an opportunity in the form of a three day seminar on Prānāyāma (conscious breathing practices). ‘The Power of Yoga – Exploring Prānāyāma for Health & Vitality’, was presented by Kausthub Desikachar (principal teacher at the Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation – KHYF – in Chennai, India).

This seminar was well attended. I found myself in the company of a wide range of students, some of whom were relatively new to this form of classical yoga, while others were long-term practitioners, teachers or teacher trainees in the tradition of T. Krishnamacharya.

The teacher took us on a fascinating journey through the theory & practice of various Prānāyāma techniques. Classical yoga texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali formed the foundation of all the teachings, and yet the material was presented in a way that made it accessible to all of us, and applicable in our modern context. Such experiential processes allow the knowledge to reach beyond the mind, into the body and the heart, allowing each student to retain it in a way that resonates with them. Even though the practices seemed relatively simple, the experience was profound. The layering of āsana, prānāyāma, mantra and meditation led to moments of deep internalisation for many, even within the context of this large and diverse group.

The knowledge imparted during the prānāyāma seminar was indeed profound, but what truly inspired me was the ongoing transformation I observed in the teacher himself. Kausthub’s teaching is heartfelt. He speaks freely about his difficulties, and shows humility in acknowledging his teachers and mentors for having guided him through some dark times. I observed a deepening of wisdom and spiritual connection in Kausthub that I attribute to his own ongoing practice.

What became clear to me at this seminar is that we are a indeed a sangha, a growing community of learners. The word lineage is often used in this classical yoga context, but I see it more as a web of support that connects us. Sometimes our role is to support others in their process, and at other times we lean into that web and find the support we need. In this web, none of us can see from every angle, so we rely on each other for clarity and perspective.

Whether we label ourselves as students or teachers of yoga, we grow because of our commitment to the practice, and because of our honest interactions with each other. It is a privilege to be in sangha. To witness transformation in others is to be reminded of the real possibility that we ourselves can overcome our limitations and grow to fulfill our true potential.